1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fiber optics connectors and in particular to a ferrule portion of a connector, which ferrule has physical properties compensating for cladding which must be removed from the fiber to effect precision location of the fiber for maximum effective termination.
2. The Prior Art
The present invention constitutes an improvement in fiber optics connectors of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,837, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The connector described in this patent has been well received and is quite effective in terminating both plastic and glass fibers formed into single or multiple fiber cables. The present invention constitutes an improvement over the connector disclosed in the cited patent by constructing at least a portion of the ferrule member of materials having an index of refraction approximating that of the cladding which must be removed from the fiber in order to effect precision location for maximum effective termination of some types of optical fibers.
The known optical fibers are drawn from glass or plastics materials in conventional fashion. They are then coated with a cladding material having an index of refraction selected to contain the light rays passing through the fiber within the fiber itself. The known methods for applying this cladding material do not result in a layer of cladding which is uniform and concentric with the fiber itself. Therefore, in order to effect precision termination of the fiber, the cladding towards the ends of the fibers must be removed in order for the termination means to act directly on the fiber for precision locating. Removal of this cladding layer has an adverse effect on the overall optical properties of the fiber cable. The present invention minimizes this effect.